6/21/2011

The Lodge, Shieldsville, MN

The Lodge in Shieldsville, MN. Just a short 8 mile drive off 35W heading North West from the Faribault exit. Complete CRAP-HOLE of a restaurant, but with character and the only place to get a cold beer and an amazing meal for miles. Friendly locals and an owner who will treat you like you have been stopping by for decades make this little dive bar a must stop if you live in Minnesota. They feature over 21 burgers on the menu and offer some fantastic home-cooked specials on Friday and Saturday nights. Everything that comes out of that kitchen is cooked by the owner her-self. You can defiantly tell that she takes pride in each and every thing that makes its way out of that kitchen and onto your table. If a burger isn't your thing, she also serves up some of the biggest Jumbo shrimp dinners and large platters of perfectly cooked steaks as well.Now onto the Juicy Lucy, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. This thing was huge and I mean huge. The only other Juicy that can compare in size to this thing is maybe the 3/4 lb buffalo Lucy over at the Buffalo Tap, but I still think this thing has the advantage. Did I mention that they also serve up tator-tots?The tots were fried perfect. Nice and crispy with the perfect consistency throughout. Probably some of the best tots I have ever ordered at a restaurant that came out of a bag in the freezer. The Lucy again was amazing. The best part about this burger was the crusty char on the outer of the burger itself. This baby had to of been fried on a cook-top with butter or some sort of oil to give it the nice crispy crust. The perfect amount of (good quality) American Cheese on the inside ran plentiful throughout. This woman will also customize this giant Lucy with any kind of cheese you ask, but American is the standard here. As you can see from the picture above, I did my best with this thing, but could only make my way through about half of it. I wish I could have kept going as this is in the top five "Juicy Lucy's" you will ever come across.

If you find yourself with nothing to do on a rainy day, take a nice short one hour road trip down south and check this crap-hole of a bar out, you will not be disappointed, just don't run the other way scared when you walk in.

4 comments:

Went with 3 other's on a Saturday evening after calling to find out if they had a Prime Rib special that we had heard about from a local resident. Between the 4 of us we each selected Prime Rib, Breaded Shrimp, Barbequed Ribs and a special Chicken Dish with a special marinade, mushrooms, black olives, carmelized onions, tomatoes, and I think mozzerela cheese. I also had a salad with raspberry vinagrette that included fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and iceberg lettuce. Ordered Iced Tea too. All of us were so happy with our orders and there is no question that we will return many times. The ambiance is similar to any camping area type resort, but the food and service was superb. Kat is the chef and her daughter Katy is hostess and also serves and knows the food fare well. Her recommendations are right on. Both Kat and Katy made our dining experience informal, friendly and enjoyable. You can wear jeans or shorts, but don't let the ambiance fool you. Although this is definitely a casual, resort like environment, the food and dining experience is 1st rate. I've dined in many top rated places in our country and also in a few top rated places outside of our country, and 'The Lodge', in Shieldsville, MN is right up there in great food and friendly atmosphere. If you want a fancy environment over great food, then you will be missing out on some of the best cuisine around. I love 'The Lodge' and so do the 3 other's that we were with! We will be regular's now that we've experienced 'The Lodge'. I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars if it underwent a cosmetic makeover and the bathroom were a little cleaner. Those are the only things holding me back. Just go there and enjoy the food and people! That's enough for us... ;D

dont eat at the lodge looks like good food taste like good food, but if you seen the kitchen you would ask yourself how in the hell do these guys pass inspection. filthy kitchen very unsanitary there used to be an ashtray for smoking over the grill right next to the clean dishes.

About Me

Eating out should be an experience that you can tell a story about for years after just one experience...
I have a passion for eating out with my family and finding new, local and non-corporate run chains. I love to see the passion in a restaurants existence and the fight to make it successful. The love of what they do each and every day and a staff that can pass this onto its customers while making your meal an enjoyable experience. Not only quality, good food, but an atmosphere that makes you talk.